n high school, Brian Culver of Wheaton, Illinois had a fairly good idea that he wanted to be an English professor. But like most of his teenage friends, when it came to finding a job, he thought he should take the first thing that came along. “I wound up as a ‘bean raker’ at a fast-food taco shop,” says Culver. “My job was to keep the beans from sticking in this giant frying pan—it was as big as my desk. I sure learned some lessons about getting to work on time and saving some money—not to mention how to properly rake beans—but it really wasn’t much of a step toward my dream job.”

In retrospect, Brian realized that an internship at a magazine or a part-time job at a college might have advanced his career goals. “If I had done a more thorough search, I might have found work writing my deep thoughts instead of deep frying,” says Culver, who years later, finally did find his ideal job teaching at a college.

So don’t settle for the first job that comes your way. If you want to find a job that’s meaningful to you, begin your search by using the following tips:

1. Networking Pays. When it comes to finding the perfect job, the phrase “it’s all about who you know” can apply. “Most students know—within two degrees of separation—someone at a large or small company who they can make a connection with,” says Steve Pollock, president of the job search site Wetfeet.com. So talk to every person you know—family, teachers, friends, even mere acquaintances—about your field of interest. Someone may know of a terrific entry-level opportunity.

2. Contact Professional Organizations. Fancy yourself as a science writer? Contact the National Association of Science Writers. Physical therapy more your interest? Try the American Physical Therapy Association. Think of just about any career that interests you, and there’s probably a professional group that can give you more information and possible leads to an interesting job.

3. Check Out Career Fairs. Career fairs are not just for college students. Ask your guidance counselor about events in your area and search online. Employers who have exhibits at fairs are eager to find dedicated new workers—so if you ask smart questions and show some enthusiasm, you might walk away with an ideal job connection.

4. Try Online Job Services. Monster.com, Careerbuilder.com, Hotjobs.yahoo.com, and other major Internet job search services are worth a visit. They cater mostly to college students and adults, but if you spend some time on them, you can find helpful advice for high school job-seekers and a few employment leads.

5. Scope Out the Classifieds. It may sound old-fashioned, but the newspaper classified ads are still a good place to find an opportunity that matches what you’re looking for. Be sure to check under headings for part-time work.

6. Have the Right Tools. For any job you respond to, you’ll need to know how to write a resume and handle the interview. For pointers on these, go to www.careersandcolleges.com.

Source: www.careersandcolleges.com

Posted by Shawn Augustson, CollegeRecruiter.com on January 31, 2007 at 5:20 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

References can have a significant impact on the final hiring decision. Be ready at a moment's notice to provide potential employers with at least three solid ones.

Approach only your natural contacts, the people who would unquestionably offer a glowing report about you. You want people who know you well professionally and can relay information about your proficiency, skills, attitudes, and behaviors.

Consider mentors, bosses, or coworkers in positions of authority. Also look at professors, coaches, or counselors. Steer away from family and friends, who may be biased or unaware of your work habits.

Ask early and carefully
Ask for references before you leave your current job. Say something like, "If I need a reference, would you feel comfortable offering a positive recommendation?" If there is any hesitation, avoid using that person. If he or she is a solid mentor, talk about the type of position you are seeking, your hopes, and your goals. Asking for advice educates and engages your references in your efforts.

Do their work for them
Make it easy for your references to say good things about you.

* Provide an updated resume.
* Give them warning that a potential employer has asked for references.
* Describe the job you are seeking, the challenges it might provide, and your ability to meet them.
* Outline why you are the best candidate for the job.
* Ask them to let you know when/if they've been contacted.

How HR managers use your network
Human resource managers almost invariably ask for references when seriously considering someone. For liability reasons, if for no other, they will probably call each one. They will look for inconsistencies between information gleaned from your interview and from what your references say. They may ask about the following.

* Promptness or tardiness
* Interactions with coworkers
* Attitude
* Competency
* Weaknesses

Thank your references
After your job search is over, contact your references to let them know how their referral paid off. Ask if there is anything you can do in return.

- Leslie Tebbe, Salary.com contributor

Source: CareersandColleges.com

Posted by Shawn Augustson, CollegeRecruiter.com on January 31, 2007 at 5:15 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

You've heard of those brain teaser questions that may well come between you and a job someday. No matter how much you may prepare yourself for a job interview, you may never be completely ready when that interviewer asks you why manhole covers are round. Even that question has been asked so often by now, it's considered one of the easy ones. Microsoft is partly to blame.

Ever since the Seattle-based software giant made news a few years ago for asking applicants questions like "How many golfballs does it take to fill a 747?", more and more companies have been adding their own mindbenders to the interview mix - and it's not just at software behemoths like Microsoft, but also at consulting firms and investment banks like Goldman Sachs and Smith Barney. Don't feel prepared just because you've got a bulletproof resume and have thoroughly researched the company you're interviewing for. Be ready for something unorthodox to pop up out of the blue.

It's how you answer, not what you answer
It's not a matter of answering the question "correctly" - in many cases there is no correct answer. The company wants to know how you think. They are interested in how and why you arrive at your answer. According to one contractor who was writing anonymously on a website devoted to Microsoft job interviews, the interviewer "wants to know what you're like, not what you think you should be like. While it might seem obvious that authenticity is vital, many people still get the misguided impression that there is a character type they must reflect."

These brain teasers range widely in difficulty. Some of them do have actual answers. One example is,"Calculate the number of degrees between the hour and minute hands of an analog clock that reads 3:15." Hint: the answer is not zero. Others exist primarily to see how creatively and elegantly you can reason under pressure, for example, "How many gas stations are there in the United States?" While these may involve some math, it's fairly simple stuff. The key is to show how flexible your mind is when figuring these things out.

Take the manhole cover question, one of the easier brain teasers out there. Why are they round? Don't panic. Consider the question from different angles. You might answer that manhole covers are round because it makes them easier for one person to move them around by rolling them on one side. They might be round because if the manholes were, say, square - or for that matter, any shape other than a circle - they could easily drop through the hole. This is the orthodox "right" answer to the manhole question. Another popular answer to this is that the round covers don't need to be rotated to fit over the hole they're covering, as square ones would.

Or consider this: What's the size of the market for disposable diapers in China? Start big and take this brain teaser one mathematical step at a time. Estimate how many people live in China and pick a percentage of that number that would represent Chinese people of child-bearing age. Divide that number in half to get the number of Chinese women of childbearing age. Assume a percentage of those women have children, a fraction of whom are under two years old. Recall that on average, Chinese families tend to have only one child. Plug in the numbers and do the math.

The number may not be the precise answer, but the logic you use to get it shows the interviewer that you know how to think. The trick is to use big, round numbers that are easy to add, subtract, multiply, and divide on the fly. By showing the interviewer that you can think on your feet, you'll begin to demonstrate that you'll be a solid problem-solver as an employee.

- Brian Braiker, Salary.com contributor

Source: CareersandColleges.com

Posted by Shawn Augustson, CollegeRecruiter.com on January 31, 2007 at 5:08 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

You're sitting in a conference room or office, face-to-face with the person you most want to impress - your prospective boss - and he or she is asking you, "What is your biggest weakness?" How do you answer a question like that?

The good news is, it's a job interview, not a confessional. No one expects you to demonize yourself in hopes of appearing forthright. After all, you are selling yourself and you want the interviewer to buy, not pass.

You could try stalling - think hard for a minute or two and answer something to the effect of, "I can't really think of any aspect of my personality that has compromised my performance at work. All of my performance reviews have been positive and I've never had any problems with past employers." The problem with this approach, though, is that you run the risk of appearing smug.

A better approach to take with the weakness question is to answer it honestly in a way that makes you look positive. Try to come up with a problem or difficulty you had at work a long time ago - the farther back, the better. Explain how that one minor flaw affected your performance in a way that enabled you to correct the problem and learn from it. This will show your employer how you have learned from a mistake.

"The classic 'weakness' answers are those where the weakness is a strength in disguise," said Jenn Schraut, Human Resources and Compensation Associate at Salary.com. "But avoid the blatant, overused ones, like, 'My problem is, I work too hard'," she said.

With the weakness question, you'd better be prepared. If you think of something on the spot, your example might have flaws you don't have time to think about.

- Brian Braiker, Salary.com contributor

Source: CareersandColleges.com

Posted by Shawn Augustson, CollegeRecruiter.com on January 31, 2007 at 5:05 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

Last week I had a post talking about college relationships that should last. Today I want to take one question and go into more detail: Who do I try and keep track of?

I think the reason this seems like common sense (but wasn't for me) is because I was asking "who will be valuable to me in 5 or 10 years?" I could pick through roommates, classmates, professors and immediately judge who I thought would bring value to me down the road.

And I would have been wrong.

College is a unique setting, kind of a clinical environment. People are growing, experiencing, learning and maturing. The party animal on the floor above you today may be a manager at the investment firm just a few years after graduation! Here are some obvious ideas of who to keep track of:

Cool roommates and classmates: cool now, cool forever, right?

Smart students: these are the brains that get awesome grades and always do their best.

Cool professors: the ones you get along with, and the ones everyone likes.

Your career advisor: either in your college, or at the career center, you have someone that is acting as a career advisor, right?

Here are some not-so-obvious ideas of who to keep track of:

The professors you don't like: When it comes to career management sometimes you have to humble yourself. There were professors that I didn't care for but I found had excellent industry connections. Guess what? They get job leads, specifically for students or recent graduates - and their recommendations carry a lot of weight!

Professors from different disciplines: Two of the most helpful professors in my job search, 5 years after graduation, where from accounting and operations – I only took one class from each of them and neither of those were my major. But they were very, very helpful.

Any student/roommate/classmate or dorm-mate that you can: The goofy ones. The lazy ones. The bad students. Everyone grows up someday, and maintaining a relationship with these people can pay off years down the road.

Parents of these people: The parents of my buddies owned companies or where high-level managers at a ton of different types of companies. What a great network to tap into - seasoned professionals who are likely in senior positions!

Career center staff: whether you go there now or not, realize that these folks have connections. They know employers, and frequently get asked to post fresh, new positions. And there’s power with each person, not just the director.

The Dean of a college: Part of a dean's job is to be well connected. If you have a great relationship with the dean, you'll be able to tap into that relationship when you need to. The dean is not untouchable - go set up a meeting with him/her right now!

The on-campus interviewer: these guys come to interview people for various positions (including internships). If you have an interview with them, follow-up with a thank you card and then keep them in your network. As you get closer to graduation (or post graduation, when you need to change jobs), they are great contacts as they are involved in the hiring process, and should have many great connections.

In the next post I'll talk about options to keep track of all of this important networking information to really maintain a relationship with each person (if you don't have a system you will be overwhelmed).

Posted by JibberJobber.com on January 30, 2007 at 9:11 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

You've heard of those brain teaser questions that may well come between you and a job someday. No matter how much you may prepare yourself for a job interview, you may never be completely ready when that interviewer asks you why manhole covers are round. Even that question has been asked so often by now, it's considered one of the easy ones. Microsoft is partly to blame.

Ever since the Seattle-based software giant made news a few years ago for asking applicants questions like "How many golfballs does it take to fill a 747?", more and more companies have been adding their own mindbenders to the interview mix - and it's not just at software behemoths like Microsoft, but also at consulting firms and investment banks like Goldman Sachs and Smith Barney. Don't feel prepared just because you've got a bulletproof resume and have thoroughly researched the company you're interviewing for. Be ready for something unorthodox to pop up out of the blue.

It's how you answer, not what you answer
It's not a matter of answering the question "correctly" - in many cases there is no correct answer. The company wants to know how you think. They are interested in how and why you arrive at your answer. According to one contractor who was writing anonymously on a website devoted to Microsoft job interviews, the interviewer "wants to know what you're like, not what you think you should be like. While it might seem obvious that authenticity is vital, many people still get the misguided impression that there is a character type they must reflect."

These brain teasers range widely in difficulty. Some of them do have actual answers. One example is,"Calculate the number of degrees between the hour and minute hands of an analog clock that reads 3:15." Hint: the answer is not zero. Others exist primarily to see how creatively and elegantly you can reason under pressure, for example, "How many gas stations are there in the United States?" While these may involve some math, it's fairly simple stuff. The key is to show how flexible your mind is when figuring these things out.

Take the manhole cover question, one of the easier brain teasers out there. Why are they round? Don't panic. Consider the question from different angles. You might answer that manhole covers are round because it makes them easier for one person to move them around by rolling them on one side. They might be round because if the manholes were, say, square - or for that matter, any shape other than a circle - they could easily drop through the hole. This is the orthodox "right" answer to the manhole question. Another popular answer to this is that the round covers don't need to be rotated to fit over the hole they're covering, as square ones would.

Or consider this: What's the size of the market for disposable diapers in China? Start big and take this brain teaser one mathematical step at a time. Estimate how many people live in China and pick a percentage of that number that would represent Chinese people of child-bearing age. Divide that number in half to get the number of Chinese women of childbearing age. Assume a percentage of those women have children, a fraction of whom are under two years old. Recall that on average, Chinese families tend to have only one child. Plug in the numbers and do the math.

The number may not be the precise answer, but the logic you use to get it shows the interviewer that you know how to think. The trick is to use big, round numbers that are easy to add, subtract, multiply, and divide on the fly. By showing the interviewer that you can think on your feet, you'll begin to demonstrate that you'll be a solid problem-solver as an employee.

- Brian Braiker, Salary.com contributor

Source: http://www.careersandcolleges.com

Posted by Shawn Augustson, CollegeRecruiter.com on January 28, 2007 at 9:33 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

Whether you’re applying for a part-time job, an internship, or your first full-time job, avoiding these common errors can help you land your dream job.

1. Applying to positions you’re not qualified for. The fact is, all the nailed interviews and glowing references in the world are not going to land you jobs that require degrees or experience you don’t have.

2. Expecting job opportunities to come to you. About 80 percent of available jobs go unadvertised, which means they won’t be posted on a job board or waiting for you to circle them in the classifieds. It’s up to you to hunt them down.

3. Not taking your job search seriously. You must devote time to the process. “It’s amazing how many students will study for 30 hours, but won’t spend more than three minutes posting a résumé to a job board,” says Steven Rothberg, founder of www.CollegeRecruiter.com.

4. Not doing your homework. According to a survey by Accountemps, 44 percent of corporate executives say student job-seekers lack knowledge about their company. Know a company’s products/ services, its main competitors, and the current issues it’s affected by.

5. Addressing items “To Whom It May Concern.” Before you mail a résumé or cover letter, call the company and ask for the name of the hiring manager or division head of your area of interest. If answering a blind ad, address the cover letter to “Hiring Manager.”

6. Being too modest. Don’t be afraid to talk up everything you’ve accomplished. “The whole point of an interview is to explain why you should be hired,” says Brandi Baran, career services coordinator at Hobart and William Smith Colleges.

7. Being overconfident. “Many students believe that if they’re witty, they’ll impress the interviewer,” says Tony Lee, editor of Collegejournal.com. That’s not the case. “If you’re not prepared, if you haven’t found out about the company, you’ll get blown out of the water.”

8. Not following up. You certainly don’t want to bug a company on a daily basis. But a phone call to find out the status of your application after sending a résumé or interviewing with an executive is perfectly acceptable.

9. Not presenting yourself professionally. That’s true not only in person, but on paper, too. An address of “Kappa Kappa Gamma House” may not connote a professional job seeker. And if your e-mail address is something like Superstud.com, get a new one.

10. Being unorganized. Keep a log of each potential employer showing information on the company, when you applied, what materials you sent, follow-up calls you made, and when you met with them, if you did.

—Tracey Randinelli
Source: http://www.careersandcolleges.com

Posted by Shawn Augustson, CollegeRecruiter.com on January 26, 2007 at 8:01 AM | Leave a Comment (1)

I went to two different universities and spent about 7 years rubbing shoulders with fellow students. We all had different majors and interests, and some of us were marked to be successful while others, well, you know what I mean. We saw each other so often that there was no concern about losing touch.

Fast forward a few years later and I am embarrassed to say that if I needed to, I can only reach out to a few of those contacts.

Even with alumni communities and Google, I've found it is quite hard to find current contact information. And if you told me this would happen when I was in school I probably wouldn't have cared much. Or I wouldn't have believed you.

But now, as a working professional, I care a lot.

You see, I'm sure most of my friends from school (and even acquaintances that I never got to know very well) are in positions that would add value to my career. Perhaps they could be my vendors, or my clients. Perhaps they could be service providers or advisors. Perhaps they have really rich networks that would add a ton of value to what I'm doing now.

Perhaps? The answer to all of these perhapses is ABSOLUTELY.

People you meet in school will be in a position to be vendors or clients.

People you meet in school will be in a position to be service providers or advisors.

People you meet in school will have rich, diverse networks that may someday add value to your career.

Imagine keeping in touch with 50 people that you met in school. Five years down the road they will all have their own networks. Students now are the desicion makers tomorrow, aren't they? So who are the people that you really should keep track of, and how should you do it?

The who is easy: Everyone.

The how is a little more complicated: In a way that will last throughout the years.

I'll expand on this in future posts. For now, sit down and list 50 people off the top of your head. Start with professors, then move to students... and on and on.

Posted by JibberJobber.com on January 25, 2007 at 5:46 PM | Leave a Comment (0)

Because I am one of the owners of CollegeRecruiter.com and my daily work with college and university students who are searching for internships and recent graduates looking for entry level jobs and other career opportunities, I'm often asked by our employer clients for a list of the "top" schools from which to recruit MBA's, undergraduates, or other types of students. Any list that you find of the 'top' schools from which to recruit is a list that you should not place much stock in.

The reason is that the best schools for your organization may be the worst for another organization. What is important isn't the prestige or name recognition of a school. What is important is whether the students at that school will be a good fit for your organization.

Many and perhaps most organizations which are new to college and university recruiting make the mistake of assuming that they can just show up on-campus the first day of the first year of interviewing there, open the doors to the interview room, and hire the candidates they want from the most prestigious schools. Wrong. College and university recruiting is strategic. It can take years to develop the relationships and name recognition at those schools that are necessary before you can succeed.

Don't recruit at a school simply because senior management wants you to recruit there, even if they went to those schools. Do recruit at a school if the types of employees you want to recruit graduate from those schools. Also, don't just send a recruiter to any on-campus event. They should always be accompanied by a hiring manager and preferably a senior level manager. Those managers should have attended or have some strong connection to the school and they should be aggressively networking for months and even years beforehand with the school's faculty and staff.

College and university recruiting is a fantastic way of recruiting tomorrow's leaders today, but it is not simple and it is not a silver bullet.

Steven Rothberg is the President and Founder of CollegeRecruiter.com at http://www.CollegeRecruiter.com, a leading career site used by college students who are searching for internships and recent graduates who are hunting for entry level jobs and other career opportunities

Posted by Shawn Augustson, CollegeRecruiter.com on January 24, 2007 at 8:51 PM | Leave a Comment (0)

A few months ago I received a call from someone representing the Texas Chapter of the Paralyzed Veterans of America. The caller asked if I had any household items or clothing to donate to paralyzed veterans and told me that if I did, that they would come to my house and pick it up. Wow. What a great deal, I thought. I had a bag of clothes that I was planning to take to Goodwill anyway so I decided to donate to the Paralyzed Veterans organization. After all, what a great cause, right?

Sure enough they came to my house and picked up the clothes and left me a receipt. I was happy to have helped them. I was happy, that is, until about a month later when they started calling me every day and sometimes twice a day to solicit further donations. At first I was nice about it and simply explained that I don't have that many clothes and household items to donate. I would have thought they might contact me every 6 months or so for a donation, but every day? No one has that much extra stuff to give away.

Finally, this morning was the last straw. Some woman called me from this organization at 8:00 am. I yelled at her and told her that I have asked to be taken off their donation list on numerous occasions. She wasn't even apologetic about calling me early or for not having me taken off their list. So, I found the Texas Paralyzed Veterans website and called their Houston Headquarters. I spoke with a woman named Sherry Kirkpatrick who told me she had no idea I was getting so many calls and who told me she will take me off their calling list. We will see if that actually happens or not. If it doesn't I think I will write a letter to the FCC.

The sad part about this is that I think that paralyzed veterans are American heroes who deserve our love, support, and donations. I want to support veterans in any way that I can. But this organization has harassed me to the point that I won't make donations through them. I will find another way to support our war heroes such as supporting the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR). The Austin chapter of the DAR makes donations to the Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio.

The lesson is that contacting your clients, donors, and supporters is a good thing unless you go overboard and have too much contact. Too many phone calls, too many emails, and too much mail simply annoy potential clients or donors. How much is too much? I don't think there is one answer to this question. The key is to know your clients and/or donors and don't over-contact them or you will drive them away and lose business. Just ask the Texas Chapter of the Paralyzed Veterans of America - they lost one good donor today. And they won't get her back.

Liz Handlin
www.ultimate-resumes.com

This Blogswap article is courtesy of Recruiting.com and CollegeRecruiter.com, a leading site for college students and recent graduates who are searching for internships and entry level jobs.

Posted by Shawn Augustson, CollegeRecruiter.com on January 21, 2007 at 7:47 PM | Leave a Comment (1)

There is a striking mismatch between supply and demand for highly skilled, management-level IT professionals over the next several years, but candidates must look beyond the easily duplicated tasks.

Demand for management-level Information Technology professionals is growing rapidly, while the rate of computer science graduates is not even close to keeping pace. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that there will be an average of nearly 200,000 annual job openings in IT occupations that demand a BS or higher in computer science, or related disciplines such as management information systems. Projections based on recent enrollment trends, however, suggest that computer science degrees actually awarded in the United States will only be about one-quarter of the number of annual job openings.

Because of the flexibility required in today's systems, IT professionals are being asked more and more frequently to possess management knowledge and experience. Employers are increasingly seeking individuals with MBAs or relevant business experience in addition to superior technical abilities.

Recent statistics show that most positions lost to the dot-com bust and outsourcing have been concentrated in the lower end of the skills spectrum, in tasks that can easily be duplicated in lower-wage countries. Meanwhile, higher-skill jobs have grown by nearly 20 percent since 2002. This means that along with superior technical skills, students must be sure that they acquire the business and management knowledge increasingly sought by employers.

InformationWeek estimates that the unemployment rate among IT professionals fell below 3 percent in 2006, well below the rate for the entire labor force. The Computing Technology Industry Association estimates IT jobs grew at a healthy 4 percent in 2006 and are projected to do as well or better in 2007.

There is a clear mismatch between supply and demand for high-skill IT employment in coming years. With only one computer science graduate for every four new jobs created, there will continue to be upward pressure on salaries, which are already growing at 5 percent per year. For students considering a degree in computer science or related field such as information systems, there are attractive financial reasons to do so, but they must be sure that they acquire the business and management knowledge increasingly sought by employers, on top of strong technical skills.

Jeremey Leonard is the Chief Economist at American Sentinel University, an accredited online university that offers a quality education focused on high-growth sectors of the economy

Posted by Shawn Augustson, CollegeRecruiter.com on January 20, 2007 at 10:28 AM | Leave a Comment (2)

Someday I envision a “Headhunter T.V.” channel on cable. When that happens call me as I promise to deliver the recruiter version of Jim Cramer’s “Mad Money” show on CNBC.

I often tell business friends business acquaintances that we in the recruiting profession are truly blessed (tongue in cheek style).

Blessed because we get to enjoy a mind-stimulating and lucrative career while simultaneously having an endless source of comedic relief and entertainment during the course of each and every day at our desks.

I ask you: Who needs television sitcoms and soap operas when the best real-world reality entertainment is that which we encounter with our candidates and clients during our daily recruiting activities?!

Not only is this a great career, but it saves me lots of money on cable movie channel subscriptions as nothing can be as entertaining as the fits and starts, about-faces, shenanigans, internal conflicts, behavior irregularities, lies, deceit and manipulation our sometimes prospective clients and candidates endear us with.

Among some of my all time most notable stories follow. These are funny looking back ten years later, but they weren’t quite so at the time:

Funny Story #1

A managerial candidate from a familiar company called desperately seeking help to “get out” of her current situation. After meeting at a hotel and making certain she was committed and not just having a “blue day” I took on the project of representing her to a select group of presidents I knew would have interest. She was professional in her appearance, articulate and the resume complimented the person … but I had that little voice deep inside that said “beware” as she was too perfect in some aspects and a bit too scripted.

In about four weeks we had an interview which led to a second and third meeting and to an eventual six figure offer with a multi-thousand dollar sign on bonus. Everything came in precisely at the price point she had stated she required on multiple occasions to accept the offer.

She accepted and resigned. My first “red flag” was when I found out she gave a five-week resignation notice. Five weeks! And no she wasn’t quite that important in her current role.

On the Tuesday after the Monday she was to begin her new job I received a call from the president’s office of the new employer. “We assume you’ve heard what happened right Frank?”

I replied, “No. Why would anyone think of informing me of anything?” sarcastically.

“She called here Friday,” the company manager continued “leaving a confusing message about a counteroffer and that she’d call back but she never called back and never showed up yesterday” he explained.

In calling the candidate I found out this was not her first counter offer acceptance. But she did not reveal this … I had a co-worker reveal her past history to me.

In fact it was not the second counter offer acceptance.

No. Indeed I discovered this was the third time she accepted a counter-offer with the same employer within a five year period she was working there! Garnering significant salary increases, a larger office, and enhanced staff and working conditions or a combination thereof each and every time!

This was one of those rare cases the company loved being manipulated and this person had the process down to a science.

I know what you must be thinking: Frank didn’t prep his candidate.

Nope. If you’re thinking we didn’t prep on the whole counter-offer thing trust me I went through this discussion ad-nauseum just as Byrne, Bruno, Finkel and all the great recruiting trainers and past and present have taught us to do . I even became sick of hearing myself enforce the “counteroffer pitfalls” to the candidate during her resignation period.

It turns out the employer in this instance, contrary to the majority of cases that contribute to the statistics, actually raised this person’s salary and enhanced her job duties each and every time she resigned! It was a marriage of bi-lateral abuse and each party loved being abused as if stuck in an abusive marriage.

The candidate had the company grasped firmly by their chicken nuggets and knew exactly when and how firmly to yank on them to manipulate her employer repeatedly to her personal advantage. I was clearly duped and taken advantage of when I discovered I had been exploited to benefit someone’s current financial status. ( I did get some revenge later in due time but that’s another story).

Scary Story #2

Every now and then we come across a client that loves our first candidate so much … they decide to take over the entire finalization of the interview process. These are the guys or gals that feel “they know darn well” how to extend an offer and no longer need us.

Ahem.

This is not so bad if it’s a professional, well-trained and knowledgeable large corporation completing the hiring process and knowing how to properly extend an offer, etc. It’s not bad if you’re on retainer it doesn’t matter how the second interview/offer is handled as you get paid regardless.

It does matter if your license is on the line, you’re working in a state with high Errors and Omissions insurance premiums (like New Jersey) and the company is a less than one hundred entrepreneurial firm that needs to be monitored closely so as to protect the candidate from prematurely resigning without having a written official offer in hand.

Such was the case when I found out on a Friday a few years ago, that the candidate I had sent in the Friday before, was invited back in for a second interview the following Wednesday (without my knowledge or notification) and offered the job on the spot by the president.

Great. I thought. Less work for me – same fee rate.

I called the president’s executive assistant to find out what the official start date was for final billing.

She could not tell me. “Why’s that?” I asked.

“Because the candidate is getting back to us next week after “…working thing out with her current company.”

After multiple calls to candidate’s cell and home number I began getting worried when by the following Wednesday, one week after she supposedly received her offer … I still could not reach her. This was a case of over indulgence in arrogance and self confidence where both candidate and employer felt “they had everything under control”.

They didn’t.

I finally I called her at work which I was instructed to not do as I had no other choice.

That morning the president of the company stated “If she can’t start by the fifteenth (which was two weeks from the Wednesday she had accepted the offer on) “Then I’m rescinding the offer!”

I nearly blew a gasket and scolded him for circumventing our services and extending the verbal offer directly without my guidance and consulting. I explained had he clued me in to the intended verbal offer I would have advised her to not resign until we both knew she could accommodate your start date requirements.

Had we been included in the decision making process I told him … I would have avoided this problem by making sure she had a written offer letter first before resigning and that we had pre-anticipated potential start dates before reaching this point.

Here we had a candidate who resigned from her job a week ago … and still did not know which Monday she’d be able to start (whether she needed two weeks or had to wait until the third week to begin the new job).

The president was not pleased, as he was traveling to Europe on the third week and insisted the candidate start in two weeks flat and not in three weeks.

Obviously, we were not fond of doing business with this particular company again so we sent in a new contract with substantially higher rates so as to curtail having to hear from them unless it became well worth it.

This candidate was almost caught in job limbo as she decided on her own to resign based on a wishy-washy verbal offer which lacked a firm start date agreement. Had she come to us for guidance and advised us of the second interview (company is also to blame) we would have consulted otherwise.

We now use this story repeatedly to impress upon candidates why it is imperative for them to have the company deal with us and not accept direct offers. We now convince them better than ever before we have their interests at mind and not just the company’s.

Funny Story #4

It was around the year 2000 when a certain insurance industry person came to me to assist with his new job search. As usual, I waved my magic wand, called industry hiring contacts, and within a month or so had him on interviews which led to the job he described as his “dream job” he had always wanted.

Great.

He started on a Monday. That Friday of the same week the department manager called around 4 pm.

“Frank” he said, “Might you know what happened to Joe? He told us he was leaving for lunch around noon and we never heard back from him.

If he quit … which is what its starting to look like, we were wondering if he’d at least inform you as to what happened”.

I made calls that day.

I made calls the rest of the following week.

“Joe” (name changed to protect and conceal his extraordinary stupidity and lack of business etiquette) never called.

About two months went by when I decided to call his former employer.

Sure enough Joe had gone back to his previous employer.

For the next few years the inside joke was “You’re not sending us another ‘Joe’ are you Frank” when referring to the experience of this vanished candidate.

After four years Joe had the audacity and block-headedness to actually call me back.
He sent his resume stating “he was having a tough time with his divorce” and noted “other personal problems” and decided a new job was something he could not stand.

Having been suckered into these games before, I told him “Sorry, Joe but you only get once chance with IRES … you had yours.”

I’m glad I passed on him.

He then contacted a recruiter of ours in our Albany location. And yet another recruiter in Philadelphia.

I sent a mass email out so everyone representing IRES knew to not represent Joe and why.

It was a good thing I did. We found out weeks later yet he was under investigation for possessing a handgun and working in the insurance industry forging coverages and selling policies without proper licensing.

We never heard back from Joe again.

The legacy of “Joe” spread with the client company I was working with from offices from coast to coast.

When in need of laugh … or when someone feels like sticking it my ribs … to this day they bring up old “Joe”.

By Frank Risalvato, www.searchwizardry.com

Posted by Shawn Augustson, CollegeRecruiter.com on January 16, 2007 at 7:07 PM | Leave a Comment (0)

Cool stuff.

A group of MBA students have collaborated to implement a blog providing prospective students a peek in to the lives and thoughts of students currently in the MBA program.

And this certainly proves to be an interesting conglomeration of bloggers:

Sam the Science Geek,
Sharran (CEO of OwenBloggers.com)
Issac the Married
Bio-Heather
Justin the Contemplator,
Asif the Wanderer
Jose (en Espanol)
Nat the Fly Fishing Guide
Matt the Vegas Man (saw your pic's Matt)
The Hweester
Andre the Giant
Kat the Penn
Edmundo the Gamer
Susan's Constant Contemplation
Colorado Tyler
Medieval Isha,
Merry Merry Quite Productive
and finally.....Tony Banks

I dig the blog, Owen Bloggers, and I applaud you for getting involved in the blogging community and paying it forward to those who might follow in your footsteps.

I'd enjoy connecting with each of you one day and get your perspective on this blogging experience (ahem, you know, when you aren't in Vegas....Mr. Matt :)

And, finally, just to see if you are paying attention, the first Owen Blogger to send me an email receives an offer for the job of his/her choice; a one-year lease on a Beemer; and a comp package to include $150k base with a 35% annual bonus (paid out quarterly).

Yeah, I've never been too good at lying, but that's my attempt to weave a lil' humor in to the post.

Hat is tipped to the Owen Bloggers.

Carpe Blogem,

Dennis Smith
T-Mobile USA
WirelessJobs.com

Posted by Dennis Smith, T-Mobile Recruiting on January 16, 2007 at 5:08 PM | Leave a Comment (3)

If you’re starting a new job at the beginning of 2007, you might be wondering what you can do to ensure that you get off to a good start. First of all, know that you don’t have to wait until your first day to make a great first impression. In fact, your efforts can begin as soon as you accept your offer.

Your first step is to contact the person who will be your immediate supervisor, especially if you didn’t interview with her at all or haven’t spoken to her in a while. Send an e-mail letting her know that you’re looking forward to your first day, and ask her if she has any materials you can review that will better prepare you to hit the ground running. Do a Google search to see if your company’s been in the news lately, and if what you find is at all relevant, drop in a line or two to show that you’ve been keeping up.

Read over – carefully – any materials your boss sends your way. Know the basic jist of what’s in the packet in case you get called on it later, and supplement your rudimentary knowledge of your new company and position by spending some time on the organization’s Web site. If your new manager mentions any important team meetings or conference calls that will take place before your first day, volunteer to join them via phone. Your new colleagues will be impressed to see you there before you’re on the company’s clock, and everyone on the team will be looking forward to your start date.

These strategies won’t take you too long to employ, but they’ll do wonders for your reputation as a proactive and enthusiastic new hire. Good luck!

Alexandra Levit

Twentysomething Career Expert

Author, They Don’t Teach Corporate in College

Blogger, Water Cooler Wisdom

www.alexandralevit.com
www.corporateincollege.com
www.getthejob.com/community/blogs/water_cooler

This Blogswap article is courtesy of Recruiting.com and CollegeRecruiter.com, a leading site for college students and recent graduates who are searching for internships and entry level jobs.

Posted by Shawn Augustson, CollegeRecruiter.com on January 10, 2007 at 9:10 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

For the past week I have given a lot of thought to networking because of Jason Alba's www.jibberjobber.com visit to Austin and the flurry of networking that he kicked up when he was in town. One thing that I think is really important to a successful networker is manners. That is right: simple manners. You know what I mean by manners. Say please and thank you. Follow up when you agree to research some information for someone. Return correspondence and phone calls in a timely fashion. Those manners.

For example, if someone sets up a meeting for you to meet one of his/her contacts you should send a thank-you note to both the person who set up the meeting and the new contact you made. I recently had occasion to set up a meeting between two business contacts. One of the two contacts was gracious and thankful that I arranged for them to meet. The other contact was dismissive and didn't bother with any thanks at all. Guess who I will go out of my way to help in the future? And guess who I won't put myself out for a second time?

I am a believer that you really can't say thank you too much. Sometimes you may wonder if a small favor really warrants a thank you note, email, or call. The answer is yes. Yes, say thank you for favors and kindnesses both small and large. It's good manners and it will also differentiate you from others. You would be surprised at how few people remember their manners on any kind of consistent basis. No one ever complained that someone else was "too polite" or "too gracious". When in doubt you should err on the side of too much gratitude rather than too little. Believe me it makes a difference.

Liz Handlin
www.ultimate-resumes.com

This Blogswap article is courtesy of Recruiting.com and CollegeRecruiter.com, a leading site for college students and recent graduates who are searching for internships and entry level jobs.

Posted by Shawn Augustson, CollegeRecruiter.com on January 9, 2007 at 7:07 PM | Leave a Comment (0)

Several years ago a read an article which said that people who write down their personal and professional goals and refer to the list on a regular basis are more likely to achieve their goals than people who don’t do so. After reading that article, I tried it. I made a list of 5 personal and professional goals one January and I taped the list to my bathroom mirror. I saw that list every morning. I achieved 4 of the 5 goals by the end of the year. And I made progress toward the fifth goal. I started doing that annually and every year I achieved the goals I set for myself. In 2006 I didn’t make a list of goals and I have to say that must have made a mistake in not listing my goals because I don’t feel like I accomplished enough last year.

So, now I am in the process of putting together a list of goals that I plan to achieve this year. I think of goals as New Years resolutions in the form of measurable steps that I can work toward. Resolutions shouldn’t be a “wish list” of things we want to do but may or may not achieve because not achieving our goals and can be discouraging and depressing. Create your New Years resolutions as a list of goals that are specific, measurable, achievable, and trackable.

For example, one year I set a goal to save $10,000 in a year. That was easy to track and measure during the course of the year. I divided 10,000 by 12 months and realized that I would need to save $834 per month. I bought Quicken and tracked my spending, created a budget, cut spending, and achieved my savings goal.

I know a lot of people who make New Years Resolutions to “lose weight”, “spend more time with my spouse” ,”get a promotion at work”, or “get a new job”. I think if you are serious about achieving goals its a good idea to track your progress toward the goal. To do that it is helpful if you can make your goals specific. So, instead of resolving to “lose weight in 2007″ you might, instead, set a goal of losing 20 pounds in 2007. You can divide the 20 pounds by 52 weeks and adjust your calorie intake or workouts accordingly. I think its much easier to keep yourself on track that way. And, you can reward yourself for your small wins along the way to achieving the larger goal.

If your goal is to “get a promotion” you might break the larger goal into smaller tasks based upon the steps you need to take to achieve the larger goal. For example, you may need to pass a certification test or take on more responsibility at work in order to be considered for the promotion you desire. If that is the case, set several goals that will lead you to the desired end result of the promotion.

I find it helpful to set goals that encompass both my personal life and my professional life because neither is independent of the other. If, for example, one of your goals is to “spend more time with my spouse”, you might consider setting a specific amount of additional time you want to spend with your spouse. Or you might think about what activities you envision your spouse and yourself participating in together and set those as goals. For example, you could set a goal to “go to dinner and a movie with my spouse once each weekend.” That is easy to conceptualize, to track, and to achieve.

For those of you who plan to find a new job in 2007 you should break down the job search process into steps and set a date by which you plan to complete each step. In an earlier post I created a list of 10 New Years resolutions for serious job seekers. Those could be helpful as you think about what you will need to do to find a new job in 2007.

Make sure that you stay focused and don’t get discouraged if you don’t meet all of your goals on time. The process of creating a your list of goals, setting milestones, and referring to it frequently will help you to accomplish more than if you hadn’t take the time to articulate your goals at all. Try it. It really works.

Happy New Year!

Liz Handlin, Ultimate Resumes LLC, © copyright 2007
http://ultimate-resumes.blogspot.com/

This CollegeRecruiter.com Blogswap article is courtesy of Recruiting.com and CollegeRecruiter.com , a leading site for college students and recent graduates who are searching for internships and entry level jobs.

Posted by Shawn Augustson, CollegeRecruiter.com on January 2, 2007 at 2:36 PM | Leave a Comment (1)

Have you ever been interested in (or tried to fill) a job that sounded really interesting... until you found out who the employer was? What about a so-so job that wasn't appealing at all until you found out that it was at a really cool company?

This perception of a company as an interesting, oppressive, or boring place to work can drastically affect that company's ability to attract and retain top-quality talent. I call it an "employer brand" and encourage all my clients to consider it as a part of their overall recruiting strategy.

So what does this fancy "employer brand" term mean, anyway? It's really quite simple- it's the collection of perceptions your target market- candidates who fit your current and future open positions- have about you as an employer. Much like your product's brand, these perceptions will influence your target market's "buying" decisions whether they are accurate or not. Employers should ask themselves how they are perceived in the marketplace- are they known for generosity of benefits? Interesting and challenging work? Flexible work-life policies? Ruthless cost-cutting? Micromanagement? Conformity? It's these perceptions that can make your ideal candidate, the one who can pick-and-choose among offers of employment, decide whether or not to apply for an open position with your firm at all. If you have a negative employer brand, you may never see the resumes of the best and brightest.

To complicate matters, your product brand can heavily influence your employer brand. Consider the following consumer brands:

Wal-Mart, Apple, Starbucks, Amazon, Microsoft, Google, Pillsbury

What's your perception about working for each of these companies? Are you someone who wouldn't want to work for Wal-Mart because you've heard how ruthlessly they manage their own costs? Or are you someone who wants to work for a company with such undisputed expertise at efficiency?

What about Apple? Do you love your iPod and want to work for a company that puts that kind of attention to detail into its products? Or do you not want to work for a company that couldn't get its computing platform past a 5percent market share?

Your perception of a company's core product or service will drastically affect your interest in working there.

So what is a company with a bad employer brand to do?

I hope I've already convinced you to think of it as if you were thinking of your product brand. What's the perception you want people to have of your company? How will you reach your target market? What will you tell them?

I recommend that companies engaging the services of PR and marketing professionals, whether internally or through third-party firms, request that their PR and marketing plans include a component that specifically supports employer branding. We've already established that your product brand affects your employer brand, so why shouldn't they be promoted by the same people?

If a company takes care to ensure that it is perceived as a good place to work for its target candidates, it will notice an upswing in the quality (and probably number) of resumes received. Its recruiters will be more successful in enticing qualified candidates to make a move. Passive candidates' ears will perk up upon hearing of an opportunity at the firm. Better candidates usually means better quality of hires. Better hires mean better work produced. Better work is a better product, and a better product means a better brand. It's a cycle, but one you'd like to get into.

Tiffany Bridge
http://www.magicpotofjobs.com

This Blogswap article is courtesy of Recruiting.com and CollegeRecruiter.com, a leading site for college students and recent graduates who are searching for internships and entry level jobs.

Posted by Shawn Augustson, CollegeRecruiter.com on January 2, 2007 at 10:05 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

Two and a half days a week, I work from home. I‚ve had the opportunity to do this full time, but I haven't. This baffles some people to no end. Wait, they say. You are actually choosing to dress up and go to an office instead of sitting in front of your computer in your PJs? Why on earth would you do that?

People who have typical 9-5 jobs tend to think of telecommuting as the holy grail of work situations, but the truth is, until you‚ve tried it, you have no idea whether you would actually like it or not. You also don‚t know if it would even be productive. See, it takes a particular sort of person to be effective working from home. Because no one will be looking over your shoulder to ensure that your tasks get done, you have to be able to set your own deadlines and be disciplined about adhering to them. You have to be willing and able to focus, ignoring potential distractions like the TV or the Xbox. And you have to be okay spending lots and lots of time alone.

I realized that I had the first two qualifications down, but not the third. When I work at home for more than a few days a week, I tend to feel incredibly bored and lonely. Sure I'll be the queen of efficiency, but I miss the camaraderie of working side by side with teammates, chatting in the kitchen, going to in-person strategy meetings, and grabbing a bite to eat with a few colleagues from another department. The social aspects of the traditional business environment are major perks for me.

The bottom line is, you have to know yourself. Working at home might sound good in theory, but you have to consider what it actually means for you on a day-to-day basis. After all, there's a reason humans invented offices!

Alexandra Levit is the author of They Don't Teach Corporate in College, and blogs at Water Cooler Wisdom

This Blogswap article is courtesy of Recruiting.com and CollegeRecruiter.com, a leading site for college students and recent graduates who are searching for internships and entry level jobs.

Posted by Shawn Augustson, CollegeRecruiter.com on January 2, 2007 at 9:58 AM | Leave a Comment (0)